Students’ Perceptions of a Community-Based Service-Learning Project Related to Aging in Place

Abstract

This article describes a service-learning project that was designed to help undergraduate health professions students understand the complexities related to aging in place. The service-learning project also incorporated a research component to expose the students to the research process. Students’ reflections regarding the benefits that they derived from the experience suggest that they value learning about older adults through one-on-one interactions more than they value the opportunity to participate in the research project. Implications for undergraduate health professional education are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• aging in place
• attitudes
• health care students
• gerontology higher education
• older women
• research training
• service-learning